Thank you Pheonix

[Gert in Oz]

Thank you to Phoenix for helping me solve my hangman puzzle, the words were 'and mediation' what i had thought was a backwards comma (because it looked like one) was the word AND.

Thank you Maggie too

Appologies for spelling your name wrong

Sylvia

[Phoenix]

The useful thing about wills is that they tend to use the same form of words over and over again. Virtually every old will begins "In the Name of God, Amen" and if you know what the stock phrases are, then you can make a stab at them. It's when they spell enjoy "inioye" or nephew "nevvy" or throw in an alien surname that I get hopelessly lost.

If it's any consolation, the will writers themselves must sometimes have had poor handwriting, as you will see spaces left in will registers, where the scribes cannot make out the words!

Good stuff.

I lost the will after Contrition and Absolution no pun intended

Its funny isn't it the way people just conformed to what was expected of them even when writing a will. But that was it wasn't it the religious aspect was paramount even though they didn't really understand it or that it imprisoned them in most cases.

[kiterunner]

They didn't usually write the will themselves, though; it would be drawn up by the solicitor and he probably just put in all the standard stuff.

[Jill]

It may not have always been a solicitor, 18th century diarist thomas Turner who was the East Hoathly shopkeeper/schoolmaster/overseer of the poor often recorded having drafted wills.